(Newser)
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Mike Bloomberg has changed the party in his voter registration from Republican to "unaffiliated," sparking speculation that he will throw the 2008 campaign into turmoil by running for president as an independent. The New York mayor has vowed to leave politics after his term expires in 2009, the AP reports, a stance at odds with his rising national profile.

Bloomberg, 65, was a Democrat before switching parties to run for mayor in 2001. His liberal social stances go over well in New York, but he has played the role of a loyal Republican, contributing to national candidates with funds from his vast personal fortune—his ace in the hole as he weighs campaigning for the White House.